


Joy as Sweet as Sorrow

by GilgaNyan (NarryEm)



Series: Adventures in Chaldea [5]
Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Kissing, that's it really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 00:25:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14124132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NarryEm/pseuds/GilgaNyan
Summary: Ritsuka and Karna getting to know each other better.It's just plotless fluff.





	Joy as Sweet as Sorrow

 

The great hero from Indian legends of Mahabharata is not much of a talker.  But that does not mean that he has a faint presence.  Everywhere he goes, he commands everyone’s attention.  It’s not due to his appearance or anything; rather, it is the kind of charisma that Ritsuka has felt from Gilgamesh and Arthur, though to a lesser degree.

Ritsuka can still remember the summoning of the hero as if it were yesterday. (To be fair, that _was_ only two nights ago.)

 

 

She wasn’t trying for a specific Heroic Servant at the time.  All she knew was that she would prefer a Lancer this time to balance out her team.  Luckily, it was none other than Karna himself who heeded her call.

Karna had these strikingly beautiful eyes that Ritsuka found herself captivated by from the moment they met.  Granted, it was nowhere near the pull that she initially felt when summoning Gilgamesh (whose charisma skill was a cheat key in life, truly).  As exquisite as the Lancer was, Ritsuka could also see the deeply rooted tragedy and melancholy swimming in the depths of his pale blue eyes.

 

 

Meal time is usually when the Servants gather in the canteen to chat amongst themselves.  Ritsuka has yet to see Karna make an appearance in the canteen.  Whilst it is true that eating is optional for the Heroic Spirits, most of them choose to eat for the sake of eating.

Which is why, on the third night since Karna’s summoning, Ritsuka decides to pay the Lancer a visit with a tray of omelette that she made with the help from the Nameless Archer.

She realises that there has been a fatal flaw to her plan: with the tray full with plate and a full cup of freshly squeezed lemonade, there is no way that she can open the door.

Thankfully, Karna comes to her rescue.  She has not even been standing at the door for longer than a minute before the Indian hero appears to open the door and take the tray from her.

“Thank you, Master.  You shouldn’t have gone through all that trouble for someone like me,” Karna says, a hint of a smile gleaming in his eyes.

“Why do you think of yourself that way?  To me, you are just as valuable as any other Servant in Chaldea.”

Karna frowns slightly.  “Pardon me, Master.  It is my upbringing that is the cause of my thinking.  I grew up not knowing of my true parentage.  Thinking that was the same as other citizens, I lived to serve and to give.  It still does not come naturally for me to consider myself an equal to the Heroic Spirits here.”

“That’s sounds sad, in my opinion,” Ritsuka ventures.  She follows Karna into his room.  It isn’t all that surprising that the room is barely furbished.  It remains in the same state that all dorm rooms come in: a bed, a desk and a chair, and a window facing the south for this room.

“How so?  Oh, you may sit wherever, my lady.”

Ritsuka shrugs to herself and sits on the bed.  She pats the space next to her for Karna to do the same.  The hero is reluctant to do so, pausing momentarily before he seats himself next to Ritsuka whilst leaving a gap between them.

“You are one of the most beloved heroes in the Indian legends,” Ritsuka explains.  “You are hailed as the Hero of Benefaction, one who gives and cares.  People look up to you as a figure of utmost selflessness who would give up his life for the sake of goodwill.”

Ritsuka immediately wishes that she did not say that.  Something akin to regret and woe crosses Karna’s pale blue eyes.

“Yes, I suppose that is indeed how I ended my life.  Had I possessed an iota of self-worth and a selfish heart, my tale may not have ended in such tragedy.  Wherein lies the difference between the hero and the villain of the story, Master?  To those who fought alongside me, I was the hero.  To my brothers, I was the very villain who was trying to ruin their lives.”

“You know, there’s a reason why the Servants are called Heroic Spirits,” Ritsuka counters.  “If you were not deemed to be ‘heroic’ by the Throne, you would not be sitting with me right now.  Or eating this delicious omelette that I made for you!”

“Ah, my apologies, Master.  How rude of me to ignore your hard work and not get a taste of this dish.”

Ritsuka smiles.  She scoops up a mouthful with the fork and holds it out in front of Karna’s mouth.  “Say ‘ah’~”

It is truly a rare sight to see Karna blushing.  Ritsuka wishes that she has a way to capture this moment forever.  His normally pale cheeks mottled red, Karna closes his eyes halfway as he opens his mouth wide.

“It is very delicious, Master,” Karna compliments.  “Thank you.  Now I can understand to an extent why some of the other Servants are fond of eating when we do not have an innate need to do so.”

Ritsuka laughs.  “I think we have Archer to thank for that.  He is an amazing cook!  Arthur has said many times that he has never tasted food as good as the meals what Archer cooks up.  But then again, he _is_ British and they are famous for their lackluster cuisine.”

“I don’t think food from an entire country cannot be that bad,” Karna says, eating more of the omelette. 

“Going by Arthur’s words, it can be.  They have really weird dishes, too.”

“Such as?” Karna prompts. 

“Haggis.  Something about fermented yeast.  I’d rather have my toasts slathered in butter and raspberry jam, no thank you.”

“Ah, you speak of marmite.  I believe I had it once, when I was summoned in a different Grail War.  It had a strong salty taste mixed in with others.”

Ritsuka shudders thinking about the time she tried it for herself.  It was a stupid dare and since then, she has avoided dares involving food.

“Hey, Karna,” Ritsuka says after a minute of silence.  Karna stops eating, looking into Ritsuka’s eyes and giving her his full attention.

“Yes?”

“Do you resent your brothers for what they did to you?  Or the people for treating you like an infinite gift bag?”

“No,” Karna’s answer is curt and swift.  “Never in my life have I felt the emotion called ‘resentment’ or hatred.  There may have been times when I felt inadequate for the tasks I have been entrusted with but the fault always lay with me.”

“That’s not true!” Ritsuka bursts out.  It’s not until she sees that she is no longer eye to eye with Karna that she realises that she has stood up.  “I read Mahabharata.  The stories all tell the tale of a selfless hero who was born with wonderful skills but was born into the wrong time and place, filled with greedy bastards.  He had no choice but to fight his brothers once the eventes transpired.  People kept taking advantage of your kind heart and you did not have it in you to see through their masks.  It wasn’t Karna the Hero who was inadequate, it was the world that he was forced to live in!”

The young mage watches as the mask of neutrality fades on Karna’s face to give way to that of mild shock and gratitude.  His ocean blue eyes hold less sadness in them; Ritsuka might even say that they now hold hints of hope and happiness.

“Thank you, Fujimaru Ritsuka.  You are the first person in my long life to stand up for me.  You do me great honour by simply being my Master and allowing me this chance to fight by your side.”

Karna’s outstretched hand reaches Ritsuka’s face, wiping away the teardrops from under her eyes.  Ritsuka didn’t even notice that she was crying until Karna stood up as well to dry her tears.

“It is also the first time that someone has shed tears for my sake.  For that, I am eternally grateful.”

“Y-you’re so weird, Karna,” Ritsuka hiccoughs.  She takes the embroidered handkerchief from Karna when he offers it to her.  Crap, her mascara is going to smudge everywhere now.  “Tha-thanks.”

“Anytime, my lady.”

As she dabs the handkerchief around her eyes carefully as not to ruin her eye makeup even more, she sees how Karna has his arms around her.  She isn’t complaining, but she is not used to the Lancer Servant being touchy-feely.

“I apologise if this was out of bounds,” Karna murmurs. 

Ritsuka shakes her head.  She slings her own arms around Karna’s thin, strong shoulders.  “I don’t mind at all.  Sometimes, another person’s body warmth is all you need.”

“I am afraid that that is a luxury that I was not allowed to know in my life.  I spent my life in servitude of my lords, fighting for their sake and never for myself.  Having you as my Master grants my wish of fighting for someone that I care for, my lady.”

Oh, damn.  Ritsuka can feel her entire face heating up.

Karna’s eyebrows knit together in concern.  “Are you feeling alright, my lady?  Do you have a fever?  Shall I escort you back to your room?”

“I’m f-fine.  Thank you, Karna.  If it’s not much to ask, I would like to stay here and chat with you.”

The Indian hero smiles.  “That is not a problem.  I am honoured that you wish to chat with me even though I am not the most talkative person around here.”

“That’s why I want to learn more about you.  I want to know about your life.  How you grew up, the things you liked, and every other little detail.”

“There is not much to report,” Karna begins.  “I was born as the son of the sun god Suriya but was brought up as a commoner when my mother abandoned me to marry a royal man.  I hold no feelings of resentment for her, however.  It is because I was raised in a commoner’s family that I came to possess the virtues of a true hero.  The legends tell stories of how I was the hero who continued to give.  I can confirm that is true.   When Arjuna’s father, Indra asked for my golden armour to better the chances of Arjuna’s battle against me, I gave it to him without hesitating.  Such is the curse of my nature.”

“It’s unbelievable that you don’t hate the people who made you so miserable!” Ritsuka exclaims.  She hasn’t pulled back from their awkward embrace and neither has Karna.  She doesn’t feel like moving back so she stays locked in their hug.

“During my life, I have drunk water from shore to shore.  You might call it tragedy that I was always taken advantage of but from those events also I have gained valuable experience.”

“You really are a weird one,” Ritsuka mutters.  She sniffles and blows her nose in the handkerchief.  She glances down to study the intricate designs on the fabric.  “This is really beautiful, Karna.”

“Ah, thank you.  My mother gave it to me.  I was surprised that it materialised with me.  My mother raised me saying that I should never make a lady cry, especially those I have feelings for.”

“F-feelings?” Ritsuka echoes.

Karna’s head tilts to the side, kind of like a puppy looking at his owner.  “I should say that these are complicated feelings, Master.  Right now, what I feel for you goes beyond the admiration and loyalty one should feel for his lord.  Perhaps one would deign to define this emotion as affection or adoration.  Whatever this may be, it is beyond my scope.”

Affection?  Adoration?  From Karna?

Surprise must be obvious on Ritsuka’s face since the Lancer pulls back a couple inches to peer into her eyes.  It’s hard to look away from those ocean blue eyes, especially when they are filled with concern.

“Master?  Are you okay?  You look shell-shocked.”

“O-oh, sorry.  It’s just that I never expected to hear those words coming from your mouth.  Saying that you have affections for me . . . I never would have imagined that.”

Karna tilts his head again.  “And why is that so?”

“Because. . . you give off a stoic impression and seldom speak out on your behalf.  Anyone would be shocked to hear a confession from you, as half-assed as it was.”

What comes next is even more surprising: Karna is laughing.  Compared to the ghost of a smile he has graced Ritsuka with up until now, his laughter is incomparable.  It sounds like it could light up the entire Antarctica.  There is also a childlike mirth in the peels of his laughter.

“My sincere apologies, Master.  Next time I make a confession to you, I shall try harder so that it does not come across as ‘half-assed’.”

“Th-tha-that is not what I meant!” Ritsuka all but screeches.

Karna looks puzzled.  “What is it that you meant, then?”

 “Fine, I guess I’ll have to show you what I meant.”

Ritsuka bites her lip in hesitation.  She grabs Karna’s cheeks and presses her lips to Karna’s.  She is happy that she acted on an impulse when she sees the pale Lancer’s cheeks dyed red.

“I-I’ll see you later!” Ritsuka stutters.  She stands up so fast, however, that she sways on her feet.  It is mortifying how Karna has to catch her.

“It is not polite to kiss someone and run away, Ritsuka,” Karna says, a sly smile playing on his lips.  “Or did you assume that the kiss froze me to my spot?”

“Well, you can’t blame me for trying.”

Karna pulls Ritsuka down until she is sat on his lap.  “Please stay.  You said that you wanted to learn more about me.  We can’t achieve that unless you stay to talk with me.”

There is no way that Ritsuka can say no to those blue, blue eyes.  Ritsuka nods.  She shifts her weight, trying to slide down to the bed.

“You needn’t worry about inconveniencing me.  This position is intimate, perfect for our discourse, don’t you think?”

“I-if you say so, Karna.”

“Great.  Shall we begin, my lady?”

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably write more with Karna. . . probably him with Arjuna or some other male servant . . . ~~cuz I'm a pervert~~
> 
>  
> 
> Please follow my [my tumblr](http://www.gilganyan-24.Tumblr.com) for occasional fic updates and general random fandom chaos 
> 
> ^♡^


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